Body lock



Nov. 12,1935. A. w. MOLINARE BODY LOCK Original Filed April 15, 1933 Eden/Z355 W/WoZzzwre @e mw W zb ZZZ! Patented Nov. 12, 1 935 7 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE BODY LooK Anthony W. Molinare, Forest Park, 111., assignor to Highway Trailer Company, Edgerton, Wis., a corporation of Wisconsin Original application April 13, 1933, Serial No,

665,871. Divided and this application December 14, 1934, Serial No. 757,429

5 Claims.

charging its contents. The object of the invention is to provide locking means for securing the body in upright position on the frame, and to arrange such means so that it may be conveniently released for dumping the body and will automatically lock upon return of the body to normal position. The invention comprises certain features and elements of construction in combination as herein shown and described, and as indicated by the claims.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a conventional frontelevation of a dumping vehicle fitted with locking mechanism embodying this invention.

Figure 2 is a side elevation of the same.

Figure 3 is an end elevation of the locking elements of Figure 1, showing them on a larger scale and as viewed from the end of the body on which they are mounted, as indicated at line 33 on Figure 4.

Figure 4 is a vertical section taken as indicated at line 44 on Figure 1.

The present application is a division of my copending application Serial No. 665,871, filed April 13, 1933.

The vehicle chosen for the purpose of illustration includes a hopper body, I, carried on a drop frame, 2, which includes transverse rails, 3, on which the rockers, 4, of the body roll for tilting the body into dumping position at either side of the frame. An upright end portion, 5, of the frame extends adjacent each end portion, 6, of the body. This makes it convenient to provide locking means for engaging said adjacent end portions with each other for holding the body in upright position.

Mounted on the end frame, 5, is an abutment or stop member, 35, which cooperates with latch bolts, 3!, carried in a guide mounting, 32, which is mounted on the end portion, 5, of the body, I. These bolts 3|, are provided with springs, 33, urging them downwardly into locking engagement with the stop member, 33, and the guide member, 32, is mounted slidably on a transverse rod, 34, between cushion springs, 35, which permit limited lateral yielding movement of the latch bolt housing as the body arrives at central locking position upon its return from dumping position. It will be understood that as the body approaches this locking position the beveled end of one of the bolts, 3|, acts cam-wise against the stop, 30, causing the bolt to be forced back into I the guide member, 32, and to ride over said stop, 30. The other bolt then collides with the stop, 30, but the shock of such collision is absorbed by one of the springs, 35, permitting the body to 5 swing laterally a little past its normal ,central 3 position, and then to return gradually as the springs, 35, resume their normal length. This provision of the cushion springs, 35, allows time for the depressed bolt, 3|, to be returned by its spring, 33, to normal locking position, so that the stop, 30, is embraced between the two bolts, 3|. As an additional guide for the transverse movement of the housing, 32, a rod, 33, extends etween the brackets, 31, which support the guide rod, 34.

Instead of being fixedly mounted, the stop member, 30, is pivoted at 38 to a supporting bracket, 39, on the frame, 5, so that for releasing the body to permit dumping it in either direction, the stop, 30, may be rocked to the position indicated in dotted outline in Figure 4, whereby it is withdrawn from between the latch bolts, 3 I, leaving them free to move with the body toward either side of the frame. This withdrawal of the stop, 30, is accomplished by means of a cable, 40, connected to a rod, M which, in turn, is connected to a bell crank arm, 4|, associated with the stop, 30, and extending from its pivot, 38, as seen in Figure 4. The return spring, 42, reacting against the bracket, 39, normally holds the stop, 33, in looking position. The cable, 40, extends to a drum, 43, preferably mounted at about the middle of the length of the frame, 2, and provided with foot treadles, 44, disposed at both sides of the frame, as seen in Figure 1. Depression of either treadle frees I the body for lateral movement in either direction, and normally, of course, it will be pushed over for dumping the load at the side opposite that at which the operator stands. The lock just described serves for holding the body I, against lateral movement, except the limited movement permitted by the cushion springs, 35, but in traveling over rough roads there is some possibility that the body may bounce upwardly from the frame rails, 3, on which it rests. To check this tendency and for positively holding the body down on the frame when it is locked at central position, the stop member, 35, is formed 50 with an overhanging lip, 45, and the end portion, 6, of the body has a fixed stop or abutment, 46, which swings just under the lip, 45, as seen in Figure 4.

It will be evident that in the form of my incapacity for lateral yielding increases the oer: V tainty of operation of the twin latch bolts by absorbing any tendency for the stop member to recoil from the bolt which arrests it as theparts swing into locking position. While th'ereis shown and described certain specific structure embodying the invention, it will be manifest to thoseskilled in the art that various modifications and re-arrangernents of the partsmay be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, and that the same is not limited to the particular form herein shown and described; except in so far as indicated by the appended claims.

I claim: i' v V 1. In combination with a vehicle frame and a body structure tiltably mounted thereon, locking means for holding the body upright comprising a stop member carried on the frame and a pair of spring-projected latch bolts arranged to engage opposite faces of said memberjtogether with guide means on which said bolts are retractably carried, said guide means being, mounted on the body structure for limited yielding movement transversely of the direction of projection and comprising a stop member on the frame and a pair of latch bolts between which said member is confined in locking position, and guide means mounted on the body and on which the bolts are retractably carried, said bolts and stop having surfaces formed to cooperate cam-wise so that one of the bolts is forced back by encounter with the stop to admit the latter to position between said bolts, together with a guide member on which said guide means is mounted for a limited lateral movement in response to encounter of the stop and the other bolt, and spring means tending to hold the guide means normally, midway between its lateral limits of movement. 7 5" 3. In the combination defined in claim 2, said stop member having a lip projecting toward the end of the body providing a downwardly facing abutment surface, and a cooperating stop on the body which registers with said abutment 5111- 10 face when the body is locked in its normal up- 7 right position.

4. In combination with a vehicle frame struc- T ture and a body structure tiltably mounted thereon, locking means for holding the body upright 15 comprising a stop member on one of said structures and a pair of spring-projected latch bolts arranged to engage opposite faces of said mem: ber, guide means on which said bolts are retractably carried, said guide means being mounted on 20 the other of said structures for limited yielding movement transversely of the direction of projection and retraction of the bolts, said'g'uide means including a member on which the bolts are slid- V ably mounted and said'guide means being sup- 25 ported slidably on a pair of parallel spaced apart rods extending transversely of the directionof such sliding movement, brackets by which said rods are carried, and cushion springs on one of said rods disposed between the guide member and 30 each of said brackets. 1 5. In combination with a vehicle frame and a body tiltably mounted thereon, locking means comprising a stop member pivotally mounted on i the frame at a transverse axis, and a pair of latch 35' bolts between which said member is confined in looking position, guide means mounted onthe body and on which-the bolts are retractably carried, said bolts and stop having surfaces formed to cooperate cam-wise so that one of the bolts is 49 forced back by encounter with the stop to admit the latter to position between saidbolts, and check means limiting vertical separation of the body and frame including a'fixed abutment on the body normally registering directlybelow an overhanging abutment surface or lip on said movable stop member carried on the frame.

ANTHONY M OLINAREQ 

